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Up-and-coming hard rock four-piece Nothing More will kick off the new year with a pair of performances in North Carolina.

Nothing More will open 2015 with a live performance Saturday, January 10th at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. The band, which is touring in support of its self-titled debut album, is serving as a support act to Periphery on that band’s 2015 “Juggernaut Tour.” It is joined by fellow support acts Wovenwar and Thank You Scientist. Tickets for the bands’ show at Cat’s Cradle are $18 to $22. Tickets are available online at http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/717347?utm_medium=459899. Doors open at 6pm with the show starting at 6:30pm.

Nothing More recently released the second single from its self-titled debut ‘Mr. MTV.’ That single is currently in the Top 25 after having been out only a short time. It is a protest against the image being presented to today’s society concerning how people should look and act in order to be accepted and popular. The song’s companion video can be viewed online now via the band’s website. ‘This Is The Time (Ballst),’ the band’s debut single, grabbed the top spot on many rock charts for three weeks. More information on Nothing More including all of the band’s latest tour updates and news, is available online at:

New Zealand-based hard rock trio Like A Storm announced today that it will join glam rock veterans Steel Panther next week.

Like A Storm will join Steel Panther on its “All You Can Eat Tour” beginning next Wednesday, December 10th in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before joining up with Steel Panther, the band will play a handful of headlining dates beginning with a performance this Wednesday, December 3rd in Lincoln, Nebraska. The band’s current slate of tour dates is in support of its 2015 debut record Awaken The Fire, which will be released via Century Media’s “sister” label Another Century.

Metal Blade Records and the members of Wovenwar announced this week that the band will kick off 2015 alongside Nothing More and Thank You Scientists! on the Juggernaut tour. The bands will serve as support acts for headlining act Periphery. The tour kicks off Saturday, January 10th and will run for five weeks, ending February 14th in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets for the tour go on sale tomorrow, Friday, November 7th. VIP packages will be available online via Soundrink.com.

Wovenwar is currently wrapping up the European leg of its tour in support of its self-titled debut record. That record is available now in stores and online. The last date for the European leg of the band’s tour will be this Saturday, November 8th in Goteborg, Sweden. After that, the band will take some much needed time off for the holidays, recharging and getting ready for the upcoming Juggernaut Tour. The complete schedule for the Juggernaut Tour is listed below.

Guitarist Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo) and pro wrestler Chris Jericho have been friends for many years. The pair’s friendship goes back to the days of Jericho’s tenure on the now defunct WCW. So it came as not too big of a surprise that the pair’s friendship would eventually lead to the creation of Fozzy in the late 90s. What has come as a surprise is the success that the band has enjoyed since the release of its self-titled debut back in 2000. That album was pure covers. And the use of faux names for the band members made Fozzy appear as little more than a one-off Spinal Tap style project put together by the two friends. Little would anybody know that almost fourteen years after the release of that album, Fozzy would go on to release four more albums each one separating the band even more from its semi-satirical cover band roots. Now in 2014, the band has released its fifth full length studio album titled Do You Wanna Start A War. And it is everything that audiences have come to expect from the band and then some. Whereas the band’s previous albums were full on hard rock opuses, this album maintains more of a balance between that hard rock sound and a more mainstream feel. It’s almost as if the members of Fozzy have finally found that “happy, familiar place” on this record. The end result is a record that offers plenty for audiences in both the rock and hard rock realms of the music industry. On the hard rock side, audiences have already been offered up a solid slab of hard rock in the form of the album’s lead single, ‘One Crazed Anarchist.’ This song is sure to impress fans of both Fozzy and Ward’s other primary project, Stuck Mojo. On the more mainstream, radio ready side of things, the band offers a heavy yet uplifting piece in the form of ‘Unstoppable.’ And in the completely radio ready realm, the band offers up the up-tempo yet happy-go-lucky style ‘Tonight.’ These are just a few examples of why Fozzy remains a fan favorite nearly fourteen years after its debut record’s release. Each of the album’s remaining nine songs plays its own role in the overall enjoyment of this record. And together with the trio of songs noted here, all twelve tracks on this record collectively make it an album that is sure to impress Fozzy’s fans new and old alike.

Fozzy first built the hype over its new album early this spring with the release of ‘One Crazed Anarchist,’ the lead single from its new album. There is quite a bit to note concerning this song that makes it work. Musically speaking, audiences that are familiar with the work of Rich Ward and fellow Stuck Mojo band mate Frank Fontsere will instantly hear the influence of the pair’s work with that band in this song. Front man Chris Jericho’s vocals are just as powerful as he sings about quite a disturbed individual, singing, “One crazed anarchist/He’s ready to blow/Grenade in his pocket and he’s ready to blow/Finger on the trigger/And he’s waiting to pull/It’s time to deliver and his docket is full.” The song’s chorus seems to hint at how said individual became what he become as Jericho sings, “How did my love just fade away/Faith and hope/Have gone astray/I can’t run away from the beast/Rip the scab/And set it free/It’s the killer in me.” Of course, he’s speaking metaphorically about “running from the beast.” It almost hints at someone that has become an extremist of sorts as a result of having lost everything both physically and emotionally. Keeping that in mind, it makes the song an even harder hitting piece coming at it from a lyrical angle. Add in the songs steady crunching guitar line underneath Ward’s primary guitar part and an even deeper emotional impact is created. One should take into account, too Jericho’s own vocal delivery. He does quite the job of interpreting the subject’s seeming emotional and psychological state as he sings about the unnamed man. This serves to make ‘One Crazed Anarchist’ one of the best examples of how much Fozzy has grown over the course of its life. Audiences can check out the songs video now online via YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9aKjbRIJ_k. Just as much of an example of the band’s growth, is the still heavy yet uplifting song ‘Unstoppable.’

‘Unstoppable’ is another example of the growth on Do You Wanna Start A War because while it is a rather heavy song in its own right, it also presents a positive message. That message is one of self-determination. The band brought in guest singer Christie Cook for this song. Her vocals are just as powerful as Jericho’s. But there’s something that just makes it all perfectly fit here as she sings in the song’s chorus, “You’ll never break me/I’m unstoppable/You’ll never shake me/I’m unstoppable.” Perhaps it is that certain grittiness in her voice that makes it work. It’s almost a mix of Lita Ford and Joan Jett, if one can envision such a hybrid sound. And just as ‘One Crazed Anarchist’ bears its own similarity to Stuck Mojo’s sound, so does this song bear a certain similarity to Stuck Mojo’s ‘Invincble.’ That song in question comes from Stuck Mojo’s most recent release, 2009’s The Great Revival. One can almost see her on stage with the band, pumping her fist in time with the audience as she sings, “I do just what I want to/Because I know it’s right/Don’t tell me I can’t make it/Won’t down without a fight/Away from my past/Because in my eyes/I can do anything/Now watch me rise.” This is such an anthemic song. It is the kind of piece that could easily inspire people in so many situations. That ability to so easily inspire audiences combined with such a heavy sound make this song one more of this album’s examples of how much Fozzy has grown throughout the years.

Fozzy’s new record shows so much growth from the band. That’s already been evidenced in both the album’s lead single ‘One Crazed Anarchist’ and the driving, uplifting ‘Unstoppable.’ There is at least one more example on this record of just how much Fozzy has come since its earliest days. That example is a song that is perhaps the album’s most mainstream song of all—‘Tonight.’ If ever there was a song that could be used as a radio single it is this song. Jericho and his band mates sing in this arena anthem, “This is our last chance/To show the world/Jus what we’re made of/We’ll bring this town to its knees/And then/We’ll take our chance to shine/Take our chance to fly(and stage our battlecry)/Take our chance to shine/Take our chance to fly (it’s time).” That positive vibe runs throughout the course of the song. It offers that same sort of inspiration as ‘Unstoppable’ that is sure to uplift audiences and entertain them at the same time. It is one more example, as audiences will hear, of how much this band has grown from little more than a novelty cover band to a serious musical group. And as audiences will hear from the album’s other songs, those songs along with the pieces noted here exhibit that growth even more.

Do You Wanna Start A War is available now in stores. Audiences can currently pick it up at Best Buy and get a free Fozzy bandana with purchase. Fans can also pick up the album at any of the band’s live shows. The band is currently touring alongside Theory of a Deadman in support of its new album and will be in Syracuse, NY next Friday, August 2nd at the Chevrolet Court. The band also has a performance scheduled at the famed Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday, September 24th. The band’s current tour schedule and all of the latest news and updates from the band is available online at http://www.facebook.com/FozzyRock and http://www.fozzyrock.com. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Rebelution released its fourth full length studio effort this week. Count Me In, the band’s latest album, is an equally impressive piece for any reggae fan regardless of one’s familiarity with the California-based quartet. Eleven tracks comprise Rebelution’s new album. Among the songs included on Count Me In are a handful of pieces that are rooted in the standard relationship issues. The band also delves once again into the socially conscious roots of reggae on other tracks on the record, too. One of the best of those socially conscious songs is ‘More Love.’ This song is especially important considering the state of the nation’s youth today. Another of those more socially conscious songs is the album’s penultimate track, ‘Against The Grain.’ And while it isn’t necessarily socially conscious ‘Roots Reggae’ pays homage to the socially conscious roots of the genre that has made the band a fan favorite. This trio of songs stands out most to this critic. But they aren’t the only songs that will impress listeners. There are eight more songs from which listeners will find their favorite(s) on this album. And in listening to said songs, audiences familiar and not so familiar with Rebelution’s music will agree that there is plenty to like about this record.

Rebelution has crafted an album in Count Me In that is just as good a first impression for new audiences as it is a re-introduction for those that are more familiar with the band’s body of work so far. One of the key pieces that stands out as proof of this is the socially conscious song ‘More Love.’ Front man Eric Rachmany sings in this song, “More love/That’s what we need to succeed/Not dollars/Not what we need/Let’s give them love/So the youth can achieve.” This critic’s interpretation of this chorus is one that says this nation’s youth need to be more loved, plain and simple. Maybe if kids were more loved, there wouldn’t be so many school shootings. Maybe there would be less bullying. Maybe kids wouldn’t be afraid to try and succeed. It may not necessarily be the message that the band was trying to send. If not, then apologies are in order to the band and its fans. Rachmany sings in the song’s second verse about looking in the mirror and seeing things more clearly. It serves to heighten the message of togetherness and support. Rachmany comes across as saying that if we see more clearly, we’ll have more empathy and more love. In turn, we’ll give that love to the next generation so that that generation can succeed where this generation failed. That socially conscious vibe isn’t relegated to just this one song, either.

Much as ‘More Love’ pays homage to the roots of reggae with its socially conscious lyrics, so does the album’s penultimate track, ‘Against The Grain.’ The song’s closing verse is the one that best highlights this. Rachmany sings in the song’s closing verse, “To power through and through it’s a constant struggle/But we got what it takes for sure to survive/Alright…well they same I’m out the game/It’s me against the grain/Come on rise.” He comes across as saying to listeners, don’t be afraid to stand tall and proud. We can survive no matter what people will say and do. Reggae is known for boasting positive lyrics of all kinds. It’s not all just protest music. It actually serves even more of a purpose. And this song in particular proves just that. Because it does, it makes Count Me In all the more enjoyable for listeners no matter how familiar audiences are with Rebelution.

‘More Love’ and ‘Against The Grain’ are both prime examples of Rebelution carrying on the long-held tradition of reggae presenting an important social conscience. There is at least one more track included in Count Me In that presents that conscience. It presents the conscience in question in a manner slightly different than that of the previously noted songs. The song in question is the aptly titled ‘Roots Reggae.’ The song harkens back to the days of Bob Marley with Rachmany singing, “We’re groovin’/Nothing like roots reggae music/Now turn it up/I wanna lose it/Nothin’ like roots reggae music/We’re groovin’/The rhymes of the music/It’s alright…You wanna jump/You wanna shout/You wanna stand/You wanna shout it all about/I let the owner know/The music got you, yeah.” It’s a celebration of the joy brought by the music. And the use of the keyboards, horns and drums to craft such a vintage sound makes the song all the more a celebration and joy to take in. Whether it be this song, one of the others mentioned here or those not mentioned, audiences will each find at least one reason to be *ahem* “counted” among those that call themselves fans after listening to this record.

Canadian-based dubstep artist Excision is coming to North Carolina as part of his current tour.

Excision will perform this Saturday, March 8th at The Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina. He will be supported by French drum and bass duo Dirtyphonics and fellow Canadian Ill Gates. Excision has released a series of singles in conjunction with his current tour, including the songs ‘Get Stupid’, ‘Rock You.’ ‘Get Stupid’ is a collaboration with Louisville, KY-based producer Space Lanes. It is available now online at Destriod Music. ‘Rock You’ is an update of Queen’s classic hit, ‘We Will Rock You.’

Excision’s current tour marks the return of his immense twenty-eight foot wide, fifteen-foot tall video and lighting wall called “The Executioner.” The video wall was originally built for Excision’s 3D video mapped visual sequences. This time out, “The Executioner” has brand new 3D visual animations that will run across its four hundred and twenty square feet of space. Audiences can see just how massive “The Executioner” really is when they see Excision live this Saturday in Charlotte. Tickets are available online now at http://www.flavorus.com/excision. Audiences can check out a trailer for Excision’s tour is available online now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Y3UW4V0t4.

Tyr has released the video for its latest single, ‘The Lay of Our Love.’ The video can be viewed online now via RevolverMag.com at http://www.revolvermag.com/news/exclusive-tyr-premiere-new-music-video-the-lay-of-our-love-featuring-liv-kristine-of-leaves-eyes.html. The band is joined by vocalist Liv Kristine on both the song and the video. The video sees the band performing its new single against a largely CGI backdrop. The band’s members commented on the video, explaining how its look came about and on having Kristine joining the band for the video. “We’ve wanted to make a CGI video for a long time, and this is our first one, so we’re obviously excited for the release and reception of the video. On top of that, the presence of Liv in the video makes it even more special. All in all we’re very pleased with the result.”

The release of the band’s new single comes not long before the band hits the road to tour in support of Valkyrja, its new album. The band will hit the road for the “Halo of Blood” tour alongside Death Angel and Children of Bodom beginning Thursday, February 13th. The tour, which spans forty-one cities across North America, will bring the bands to North Carolina for two dates in March. Those dates are Tuesday, March 18th and Wednesday, March 19th. The bands will perform at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina on the first of the dates. The second of the dates will see the bands perform at The Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina. The latest schedule for the “Halo of Blood” tour is listed below.